Keep in Touch Exercise One: Touching Your Breath (Just Breathe)
Exercise One: Touching Your Breath (Just Breathe)
Breathe in
Notice how your lungs expand to make room for the influx of air.
Can you feel your chest muscles stretch,
allowing your rib cage to widen?
Breathe out slowly
Is there any discomfort?
Can you feel it rushing in and being pushed out?
Breathe in
What about the air? Could your breath expand your chest further?
Is it warm or cold? Does the temperature change?
Breathe out slowly
What is your heart doing?
Can you feel your pulse reverberate in your chest?
Breathe into the bottom of your diaphragm
Allow your belly to extend, making room for more air.
Hold this breath
Does this movement allow you to locate your stomach? Your liver?
Do you notice the sensation of your organs shifting
to accommodate your breath?
Breathe out
Repeat this exercise for 5 minutes every day
It always comes back to the breath. In all forms of exercise, meditation, relaxation, and anxiety mediation, the breath is the center point. We count seconds for inhales and exhales, and are guided to focus on the flow of air. It’s something different to focus on the edges of the body, how the muscles are moving, expanding your lungs until the point you might feel them burning. This is more than finding your center, it’s about using your breath to trace the boundaries of your physical being, to be able to center yourself in time and space.